Method of manufacturing wrapped packages of edible plastic material



Feb. 24; 1959 Filed May 5, 1955 A GILBERT El Al.

METHOD OF MANUFACTURING WRAPPED PACKAGES OF EDIBLE PLASTIC MATERIAL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ttameye A. GILBERT ET AL 2,875,069 METHOD OF MANUFACTURING WRAPPED PACKAGES Feb. 24, 1959 OF EDIBLE PLASTIC MATERIAL Filed May 5, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 2,815,069 METHOD OF MANUFACTURING WRAPPED PAfLKAGES OFEDIBLE PLASTIC MATE- RI Joseph Arthur Gilbert, Reginald Frank Johnson, and Alfred German Rose, Gainsborough, England, assignorsto Rose Brothers (Gainsborough Limited), Gains- This invention rel ates to thegmanufacture of wrapped packages each containing an article of ice-cream or other plastic edible mater al, e. g., toffee by the method (hereinafterreferr ed to asthe described method) in which a sticks) for the purpose of handling thearticle.

According to the present invention, wrapped packages are formed by the described method, comprising forming 'the articles from ,a strip of; the plastic material which is continuously; extruded towards the web and severed at in.- tervals in timed relationship withthe web so as to deposit thereon a continuous succession of articles, and inserting a stickilaterally into the extruding strip before the severing of the strip to form each article, the complete articles then being deposited on the web. In this manner, packages are formed each containing an article with an inserted stick, the whole article being completely enclosed in the wrapping material, j

The extruding and wrapping operations may be substantially as described in British Patent specification No. 743,978, and

tion of entrusion during the inserting movement, though for very soft materials such as ice-cream it is found that such movement of the sticks may be dispensed with.

The movement of the web is tinuously movingweb, to packages.

The invention has been found very useful in relation the formation of articles from ice-cream, the insertion of the sticks into the relatively soft extruding mass being a simple operation.

The ice-cream may, of course, be of single or multiple flavour, and the cross-sectional shape of the extruded strip may be varied to produce articles of different shape. Thus, it may be rectangular, or it may have straight ends and tapering sides, or one end, i. e., the end opposite the stick, rounded. Again, the cross-section may be in the shape of an animal or other figure.

United States Patent 0 ce I 0 ister with a stationary forwarding channel 39 2,875,069 Patented Feb. 24, 1959 The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an elevation of part of a block-forming and wrapping machine for ice-cream blocks with inserted sticks,

Figure 2 is a with part of the Figure 3 is a Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a detail scale, and e Figure 5 is a view of part of the apparatus of Figure 1, drawn to a smaller scale and viewed in the direction of the arrow in Figure Blocks 1 are cut in succession from a 2 of ice-cream extruding from a nozzle 3 by a pair of cutting wires 4 carried on pivoted arms 5, the latter being pivoted by a cam-operated arm 6 freely mounted on a stationary pivot 7 and connected to one of the arms 5 by a link 8. The arms 5 are connected by racks 9. The arms 5 are mounted on a barrel 10 itself slidably mounted on the nozzle 3 and reciprocated by a cam-operated arm 11 freely mounted on the pivot 7 and having a pin and slot connection with the barrel 10; The rate of operation of the arm 11 is such as to cause the wires 4 to move, during the cutting action, at substantiallythe same rate as that plan of the apparatus shown in upper structure removed, sectional view taken on the line 3-3 in Figure 1 of Figures 1 to 3, drawn to a larger continuous strip 12 onto the blocks 1 in the form of a continuous tube with a longitudinal's eam. The tube is then collapsed and secured between successive blocks 1 to form a continuous succession of packages-which are finally separated by severing the collapsed portions; These wrapping operations are described inmore detail in the specification mentioned above to which reference-may bemade. i

Arrangedadjacent the nozzle' 3 'isa stick mechanism having a stick fmagazine'17 slidably on rollers 18 supported in a framework 19, the magazine 17ibeing movable towards and away from a suction device 21 by a two-armed lever 22, 23 arranged to be rocked by a rotatable cam inserting mounted to the base of the magazine 17 by a link 27;

The suction device 21 is arranged to be driven intermittently through a gear 28 driven by a Geneva mechanism (not shown) to carrysuction nozzles 29 insuccession into register with the mouth of the magazine 17 so as each to receive a stick 31 from the magazine. The arm 23 is spring-urged against the cam 24 to provide the forward movement, engagementbetween the stick 31 thus beingresilient. A trapping mem- 29. The trapping member 32 is resiliently rocked by a link 33 attached to an arm 34 carrying a roller 36 37 secured to the shaft 25, the towards the cam 37.

At each movement of the suction device 21, therefore, a stick 31 is withdrawn from the magazine 17, against the action of retaining springs 38, and carried into reginto which the stick is deposited upon suction being cut-off. The leading end of the stick 31 protrudes from the forward end oi the channe .iitn he g ipped by the firs of t o pairs of knurled forwarding rollers 41 and 42 rotatably mounted in arms 45 pivoted on a carriage 43 secured to a lide liar mounted rfor re iprocation in a slidewas! 4. t rmed in'f he :i am work 1.9. The arms 45 ar spr ngeur-s r tow r s the lower rollers to provid a resilient nip. The slide-bar '44 carries a roller 47 arranged to engage a rotatable cam 48 secured to the shaft :25, the bar 44 be ng spring-urged towards the cam. I r

T ro l r and 4 a e connected by gears 49, the lower gears 49 being driven by sprockets 5.1 conn c d by a cha n 52 o .a drive sprocket 153 .rctata' ly mounted in a bearing bracket 54 carried by the vframerk .19.. The sprockets?! is dr v n by s ri 56, 57 from, the main shaft :25. Upon rec.iprccation of the carriage 43, the chain-52 rolls round the sprocket 53 t maintain ro at on of th rollers 41 and :42.

As each stick .31 is denosi d in, the channel .39, the carriage 43 mov s. to carry the rollers 41111 t the mouth of the ch nnel to ni the protruding end of the stick and iorward it along a supporting Channel-58,131:- tween the rollers 41 .anglr42, .to the nip of the rollers 42. At some time after :the nippingzof the stick by the rollers he carri ge 43 .i moved in t pposite direction,

toward the extru ng strip .2, so tha the comined movements of. th roll rs 42 an he carr ag 3 r e t drive t e stick into the extruding s p 2 th g a suit bl p rture in .the nozzl .3, a guide 59 being provided on the nozzle 3 to prevent any tendency to upward movement o the stick 31 as it is inserted into h trip 2- Because of the resilient snip provided between the 1915 42, the forward drive of the stick 31 continues s me little d stance beyond thecentre line of the rollers- Th s. iacilit tes clearance between the trailing end of the stick (during continuous; extrusion of the strip. 2) and the orward Q le isnrzfase during retracting movement of the carriag 43, the latter being ven a q k movement at the start; of- :the retraction by-the cam v48.

The tr p 2., with the. stick inserted in this manner, continues. to extrude until the desired thickness of the bl ck has. .passedclear oi the. mouth of the nozzle 3, whereupon the cutting wires 4 operate to sever the block 11 which then drops on tc/the moving paper web 12 as explained above. During this time, of course, thecarri g 4.3. has .colleeted,.;aufurther stick 3.1 for insertion into ithc extr ding stripz for the production ofthe next iblOQk.

We claim;

11.: ;Methoslof .manufacturing wrapped packages each containing an article of plastic :edible :material in which deuce ccmurreuflv moving .(.1) with the strip .rlurinx' the cutting action at substantially the same rate as that of extrusion of the strip and (2) transversely of the strip to cut the strip; and, prior to the cutting of the strip to form each article, inserting a stick laterally into the extruding strip. 7 i v t 2. Method as in claim 1,-wherein theweb istmoved continuously.

3. In a wrapping apparatus of the kind in which a spaced succession of articles are fed on to'a movable web of wrapping material which is .then .foilded around the spaced succession in the form of a continuous tube, the tube then being collapsed and secured between each article so vas to enclose it completely, the provision of means for continuously extruding a strip of the plastic material towards the web, a stick feeding device adapted to insert sticks .in succession laterally into the leading portion of the extruding strip; a cutting device adapted to sever the extruding strip after each stick-inserting operation to form and deposit in spaced relationship on the web a succession of articles each with 'an inserted stick, means for concurrently moving the cutting device ('1') with the strip, during the cutting action, at substantially the same rate as that of extrusion of the strip and 1(2) transversely of the strip to cut the strip.

4. Apparatus as in clairnS, wherein the stick-inserting means comprises at least one pair of forwarding rollers rotatably mounted in a carriage movable in a direction transverse to that of extrusionlof the strip and adapted to receive sticks in succession, and means for rotating the rollers in the carriage.

5. Apparatus as in claim 4, wherein the upper roller of said pair of'rollers -is spring-urged towards the. corresponding lower roller.

,6. Apparatus as in claim 5, comprising a magazine for containing a stack of sticks, a stationarychannel, means for withdrawing the stick in succession *from the magazine and depositing them in the channel, the sticks being seized in succession from the channel by the methoda spaced succession of :articles. are fed .onto a V movable, 5161); of wrapping material said method being characterised by steps of continuously extruding .a

strip. of the plasficmaterial towards. a movable web of w eppins rnateril', :fnrtmng :a succession of articles by cutting the extrudingntrip.atintewals .in "timed relationshipfiwith -:the. movement of; the web so as-to deposit thereon :a spaced succession .of the articles, :said cutting being such zasrtozavoid: interference with the exrtrudingmovement and being by means of .a cutting forwarding rollers.

7.'Apparatus asin claim 4, comprising a magazine for containing a stack of sticks, a stationary channel, means for withdrawing the sticks in succession from the magazine and depositing them in the channel, the sticks being seized in succession from the channel by the forwarding rollers.

References'Cited in the file of this patent unnel) STATES HATENTS Iii; 

1. METHOD OF MANUFACURING WRAPPED PACKAGES EACH CONTAINING AN ARTICLE OF PLASTIC EDIBLE MATERIAL IN WHICH METHOD A SPACED SUCCESSION OF ARTICLE ARE FED ON TO A MOVABLE WEB OF WRAPPING MATERIAL, SAID METHOD BEING CHARACTERISED BY THE STEPS OF CONTINUOUSLY EXTRUDING A STRIP OF THE PLASTIC TOWARDS A MOVABLE WEB OF WRAPPING MATERIAL, FORMING A SECCESSION OF ARTICLES BY CUTTING THE EXTRUDING STRIP AT INTERVALS IN TIMED RELATIONSHIP WITH THE MOVEMENT OF THE WEB SO AS TO DEPOSIT THEREON A SPACED SUCCESSION OF THE ARTICLE, SAID CUTTING BEING SUCH AS TO AVOID INTERFERENCE WITH THE EX- 